Guard



F. J. GIBSON Nov. 24, 1942.

GUARD 3 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed May 24, 1941 In venfor Jae/T 62166011 A tiorney F. J. GIBSON Nov. 24, 1942.

GUARD Filed May 24, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnventol 97am?" 'afi Attorney Nov. 24, 1942. F. J. GIBSON 2,302,759

GUARD Filed May 24, 1941 3 Sheets-$heet 5 V 4 I MIMI UH [.IH': J?

f ry Y4? L/isu GzZSm Patented Nov. 24, 1942 2,302,759 GUARD Frank J. Gibson, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to A. B. Chance Company, Centralia, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application May 24, 1941, Serial No. 395,929

'7 Claims.

The present invention relates to guards for high voltage supply lines. This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application, Serial No. 331,478, filed April 24, 1940.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved insulating guard of a simple construction which may b easily applied to a high voltage line in such manner as to completely cover the insulator or insulators by means of which the line is attached to a cross arm of a pole, and also to cover the line for a substantial distance in both directions extending away from the cross arm.

Another object of the invention is the prov.i sion of a guard of the class described which is adapted to be so firmly secured on the line that the linemen may sit or walk on the guard, and it may be used to support them While they are working on the line above the guard.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved device of the class described which is light in weight, contains no metal parts, is strong and durable, inexpensive to manufacture and adapted to be insulated in sections, so that it is easy to carry to the top of the pole.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the three sheets of drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a guard constructed according to the invention applied to a high tension line;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the guard and line;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 44 of Figure 1 through one of the troughs;

Figure 5 is another transverse sectional View taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the construction of one of the corners of the trough and hood;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a modification including additional means for securing the sections together;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 9-9 of; Fig, 7, looking in the direction of the arrows Referring to the drawings, in particular Figures 1 and 2, I indicates the hood of the guard assembly which is shown in connection with two troughs or end sections indicated by the numerals 2, 2. Both the troughs and the hood are preferably provided with what may be called a flat base panel or top panel indicated by the number 3, comprising a flat piece of lumber which is rectangular in shape in each case. The base panel 3 of the hood I is secured to a pair of side panels 4 which are likewise preferably fiat rectangular pieces of lumber secured to the base panel 3 at right angles and with the side panels parallel to each other.

The side panels 4 of the troughs 2 are likewise rectangular pieces of lumber secured to the base panel 3 of the trough at right angles and parallel to each other.

The depth of the side panels 4 of the hood 3 is preferably such that the lower edges of these side panels, or some portion thereof, rests on the cross arm 9 when the wood is in the positions shown in Figure 2 on the insulator If]. This involves providing sufficient clearance between the wire 8 and the base panel 3 of the hood I, so that there is room between the wire and the base panel 3 of the hood I for the base panels 3 of the troughs 2.

Thus, the base panel 3 of each trough may rest on top of the wire 8 when the trough is located inside the hood I and the hood I rests on the cross arm.

The width of the base panel 3 of the hood I is preferably such that the side panels 4 of the hood I fits outside the widest skirt of the insulator III, as shown in Figure 1. Thus lateral motion of the hood on the insulator is prevented by its engagement with the skirt of the insulator II).

Rocking movement of the hood I on the cross arm is prevented by engagement of the panel 3 of the hood with the panel 3 of the trough, which in turn rests flatly on the wire 8.

The width of the base panels 3 of the troughs is preferably such that the trough sections 2 have a tight frictional fit inside the hood I. There is frictional engagementbetween the outside of the base panel 3 of each trough 2 and the inside of the base panel 3 of the hood. There is likewise frictional engagement between the inside walls of the side walls 4 of the hood and the outside of the side walls 4 of the troughs.

Thus the end sections are fixedly secured to the cap when assembled, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the cap is supported on the end sections, which in turn rest on the wire. The end sections are in turn prevented from tilting by the securement to the cap which has its lower edges engaging the cross arm. The base panel 3 of the cap I and each section 2 and the side panels 4 of these members are fixed relatively to each other, respectively, by means of triangular brace bars 5, fitting into the corners formed between junctions of the panels 3 and 4 and secured to both the panels 3 and 4 in each corner.

In the end sections these brace bars 5 extend from end to end throughout the length of the sections. In the middle section or cap the brace bars 5 terminate short of the ends by an amount depending on the overlapping of the cap with the end sections. Thus the end sections may be slid into the cap until their ends engage the brace bars 5 of the cap.

The sections I and 2 are preferably formed in all of their parts, including the panels and dowel pin 6, of kiln dried red wood. This wood has been found a very satisfactory non-conductor of high voltage current by virtue of the absence of knots and pitch.

The parts are preferably secured together by non-metallic securing devices such as dowel pins 5. Dowel pin 6 may extend downwardly from the top panel 3 into the edges of the side panels 4, as shown in Figure 5, a plurality of such dowel pins being used at each side of the top panel 3 of each section. Dowel pins 6 may also extend diagonally through the top panel 3, the brace bars 5 and the side panels 4, as shown in Figure 4.

The sections 1 and 2 are preferably coated inside and outside with insulated varnish, as indicated at 8 in Figure 8. A plurality of coats are used and each coat is thoroughly dried before another is applied.

The panels 3 and 4 of the sections 2 are preferably, but not necessarily, made of one piece and they may be made of different thicknesses and the sections of different width, length and height. The sections I and 2 may be further secured together by any suitable non-conductive means such as straps l2, l3 of insulation, not shown.

These straps may be made of rubber fixedly secured to one section by a headed wooden peg i4 frictionally engaged in a hole I 5 and having an aperture IE to be placed over another similar wooden peg carried by the other section.

It will thus be observed that I have invented an improved guard for high tension lines. This guard consists of a plurality of sections which are easy to carry to the top of the pole and which may be assembled in such manner that they are fixedly secured together on the line. In effect they provide a cat walk on each line which may be used by the operator for standing or sitting while work is being done on high parts of the same line. The guard is firmly secured against tilting by engagement of its middle section with the cross arm and by the engagement of its end sections with the line. No weight is placed on the insulator and the major portion of the weight comes on the middle section which is directly above the cross arm.

While the guard is preferably made in three separable parts, in some embodiments of the invention it might be made of the same construction with the parts fixedly secured together, and thereby made non-separable.

The parts of the guard have all their joints securely fastened together with glue of an insulating character such as, for example, casein glue, and glue is also used in the holes for the dowel pins. All of the exposed edges and corners of the device are rounded by sanding, so as to reduce the tendency toward discharge of electricity at sharp points.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all change within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A guard for covering a high voltage line attached to the cross arm of a pole of an upstanding insulator, said guard comprising an elongated section of inverted trough-like form having open ends and being of transversely rectangular contour and adapted to span said line and insulator, said section having side edges adapted to rest on said cross bar, and a pair of sections similar to the section first mentioned and frictionally fitting endwise in opposite ends of said first mentioned section, respectively, to span stre .ches of said line beyond the first mentioned section, each of said sections comprising a base panel and a pair of side panels extending along the side edges of the base panel, a pair of reinforcing strips in each section extending along the same in the angles formed by the junctures of said base and side panels, wooden dowel pins extending through the panels and reinforcing strips.

2. A guard for covering a high voltage line attached to the cross arm of a pole by an upstanding insulator, said guard comprising an elongated section of inverted trough-like form having open ends and being of transversely rectangular contour and adapted to span said line and insulator, said section having side edges adapted to rest on said cross bar, and a pair of sections similar to the section first mentioned and frictionally fitting endwise in opposite ends of said first mentioned section, respectively, to span stretches of said line beyond the first mention-ed section, each of said sections being formed of Wood panels, and Wooden dowel pins securing the panels of said sections together, said panels being coated with insulation varnish.

3. A combined guard and workers support for covering a high voltage line attached to a cross arm by means of an insulator, said guard comprising a top member of substantially plane surface adapted to serve as a seat or work support and said guard having a pair or" depending side members adapted to embr' ce the widest part of the insulator and having portions engaging the cross arm, said guard having its top member formed with an elevated central portion clearing the insulator and with end portions engaging the wire, whereby the guard is fixedly supported on the cross arm and wire, said guard being constructed of insulating wood and having its top and side members of substantially rectangular shape, said guard comprising an insulator section and a pair of elongated line sections and insulating securing devices for securing said sections together.

4. A combined guard and workers support or covering a high voltage line attached to a cross arm by means of an insulator, said guard comprising a top member of substantially plane sur face adapted to serve as a seat or Work support and said guard having a pair of depending side members adapted to embrace the widest part of the insulator and having portions engaging the cross arm, said guard having its top member formed with an elevated central portion clearing the insulator and with end portions engaging the Wire, whereby the guard is fixedly supported on the cross arm and wire, said guard being constructed of a plurality of separable sections fixedly secured together when assembled on the line and flexible insulating members fixedly secured to one of said sections at each juncture between the sections and deta-chably secured to the other of said sections at each juncture of said sections.

5. A combined guard and workers support for covering a high voltage line attached to a cross arm by means of an insulator, said guard comprising a top member of substantially plane surface adapted to serve as a seat or Work support and said guard having a pair of depending side members adapted to embrace the widest part of the insulator and having portions engaging the cross arm, said guard having its top member formed with an elevated central portion clearing the insulator and with end portions engaging the wire, whereby the guard is fixedly supported on the cross arm and wire, said guard comprising a pair of end sections of smaller size and a middle section of larger size adapted to receive parts of said end sections and flexible insulating members fixedly secured to one of said sections at each juncture between the sections and detachably secured to the other of said sections at each juncture of said sections.

6. A combined guard and workers support for covering a high voltage line attached to a cross arm by means of an insulator, said guard comprising a top member of substantially plane sur face adapted to serve as a seat or work support and said guard having a pair of depending side members adapted to embrace the widest part of the insulator and having portions engaging the cross arm, said guard having its top member formed with an elevated central portion clearing the insulator and with end portions engaging the wire, whereby the guard is fixedly supported on the cross arm and wire, said guard comprising a section to be located on the cross arm and a section to be located on the line, said sections being secured together, and the thickness of the top panel of said line section being suflicient to cause the top panel of said cross arm section to clear the insulator.

7. A combined guard and workers support for covering a high voltage line attached to a cross arm by means of an insulator, said guard comprising a plurality of separable sections, one section covering the insulator, and adjacent sections on each side covering the line conductor extending from said insulator, said other sections having their end portions nested in said first-mentioned section, and each of said sections comprising three Wooden members, two of which serve as sides, and the third of which serves as a Wide top seat member, said wooden members being secured together to form a substantially rectangular trough open at the bottom and characterized by the absence of metallic securing devices, a plurality of flexible insulating securing straps carried by said sections at the juncture between said sections, insulating members for securing each of straps to a section at one end, and insulating members for detachable securement to the other end of each strap carried by another section.

FRANK J. GIBSON. 

